


Hangovers and Memories

by bayoublackjack



Series: Love in London [6]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Human Doctor (Doctor Who), Multiple Crossovers, POV Martha Jones, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 04:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2053779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bayoublackjack/pseuds/bayoublackjack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Martha has too much to drink, John is there to pick up the pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hangovers and Memories

Martha groaned softly as she rolled over in bed.  She couldn’t even remember how she got there.  The last thing she recalled was leaving Joan’s place in a cab.  Tom had finally ringed her along the way and after she hung up, she ended up at the pub near her flat.  Everything else was a blur.

“How’s your head?” a male voice asked, followed by a gentle hand on her forehead.  Even without looking, Martha knew exactly who was speaking to her.  Her eyes flew open and she sat up quickly, immediately regretting the decision when her head began to spin.  “Easy there,” John said softly and caught her by the shoulders.  His palms felt warm against her skin.

‘Skin?’ Martha thought then looked down at herself.  She still had her trousers on under the covers, but her top was off.  John was in her bedroom and she was down to her bra.  Immediately, her mind started racing.  “What did you do?” she demanded angrily.

John sighed softly.  “Whatever you’re thinking, the truth is nothing like it.”

Martha scoffed.  “I think I just woke up in bed without my top or any recollection of what happened the night before with a man who less than 24 hours ago tried to snog me against my will.”

“Admittedly, it  _does_ look bad on the surface,” John agreed.  “But I assure you that last night was completely innocent.”

Martha tugged the duvet up to cover herself.  “Start explaining.  Now!”

“Well, it all started last night when you rang me,” John told her seriously.

“I rang  _you_ ?”  Martha scoffed again.

“Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are now,” John said.  “I found you at the pub just around the corner properly pissed.  So I brought you back here to your flat and put you to bed.”

“But not before taking my top off,” she said in an accusatory tone.

“Yea, there was a fair amount of sick being spewed,” he told her with a grimace.  “Your blouse looked expensive so I left it to soak in the bath.”  He gestured over his shoulder to the bathroom.

“And you spent the night… _here_ ?”

“I slept on the couch,” John informed her.  “I didn’t want to leave you on your own.  You know, in case you…” He made a retching sound.  “Again.”

Martha’s expression softened.  “Thank you,” she mumbled.

“You don’t need to thank me for taking care of you, Martha.  It’s my pleasure.”  John brushed an errant strand of hair away from her face.  “And for the record…”  His eyes locked onto hers.  “If I was going to share your bed, it would only be because you asked me to do so,” he told her in a low voice.

Martha swallowed hard and forced herself to look away.  “I should get dressed.”

John stood up so she could get out of the bed.  “Why don’t you pop into the shower and I’ll put the kettle on.”

“Kettle?” Martha crawled out of bed slowly, careful not to stand up too fast.  “Caffeine is the last thing I need.”

“Yes, I know.  I have a medical degree as well,” John teased.  “The caffeine is for me.  You get to have aspirin, a banana and lots of water.  Doctor’s orders.  Now off you pop.”

Martha disappeared into the bathroom and took a quick shower.  She hung her blouse up to dry and got dressed before joining John in the kitchen.  As promised, he sat at the table drinking a cup of tea and set a banana, aspirin and a glass of water out for her.

John looked up when she joined him.  “Do you want to talk about last night?”

“What’s left to say?” Martha asked.  She picked up the pills and popped them into her mouth, washing them down with the water.  “You already explained yourself.”

“I mean did you want to talk about what drove you to drink,” John clarified.  “Was it Tom?” he asked a moment later.

Martha scoffed and sat down to eat her banana.  “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

“You know, I’m not nearly as predatory as you seem to think I am.”

“Your actions would indicate otherwise.”

“My actions?” John set his cup down in front of him.  “I feel the need to point out your role in all of this.   _You_ rang me.   _You_ kissed me.   _You_ needed… _me_ .”

“The only thing I  _need_ is to stop drinking,” Martha countered.

“I agree,” John replied.  “And eliminate the factors that tempt you to drink in the first place.”

“Why are you speaking to me like I’m an alcoholic?”

“Because I’m one,” John told her seriously.  “Eight years, seven months, three weeks and four days sober,” he announced.

Martha fell silent.  She hadn’t expected such a declaration.  It made her realize just how little she actually knew him.  “I didn’t know,” she said softly.

John just shrugged casually.  “Why would you?”

“But that night I…we…kissed, you were in the pub,” Martha pointed out.

“I was meeting someone,” John explained.  “Kate.”

“Oh?” Martha wasn’t sure why the thought of him with another woman bothered her.  They were nothing to each other, just colleagues and barely friends.

“She’s the daughter of an old mate,” he continued.  “Her father Alistair died a few years ago and every so often, Kate and I meet up to reminisce.  The pub was close to both her office and the hospital.”

“Isn’t that a bit like tempting fate?”

“There’s always temptation.  That’s the life of an addict,” John said.  “The secret is to not give into the temptation.  When I’m feeling weak, I ring my sponsor and she talks me through it.”

“What tempts you?”

“Rose,” he answered.  “I loved her.  And then...I lost her.”

“She died?”

“Nah.  Nothing like that.  She was a shop girl when we met, but she had an opportunity to run a place of her own.  So she moved to a place called Bad Wolf Bay in Norway.  On to bigger and better things,” he said with a bitter note in his voice.  “I didn’t want her to go, but she had to do what was right for her.”

Martha nodded.  “Like Tom.”

“No.  Rose was kind enough to call it quits instead of allowing me to delude myself into thinking that we could make a long distance relationship work.”

“Long distance relationships  _can_ work,” Martha protested.

“Oh some can,” John acknowledged.  “But not mine and Rose’s and certainly not yours and Tom’s.”

Martha exhaled sharply and flung her banana peel down onto the table.  “Why are you so convinced that my relationship with Tom is going to fail?”

“Isn’t it obvious?  A relationship can’t work,  _especially_ a long distance relationship, if one person is more invested than the other,” he answered.  “Every day I see you giving 100% of yourself to a man who doesn’t give you even half of that.”  Martha turned her head.  “Martha Jones, you’re a star,” he continued.  “Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re not good enough because you’re so much better than that.  You’re a damn good physician and a beautiful and clever woman.  Tom doesn’t have to cherish you, but a lot of other men would, if given the opportunity.  And I’d be at the front of that queue.”  He picked up his cup and rose from his seat.  “I should go.  I’m on the nightshift tonight,” he told her as he moved over to the sink to put his cup down.

Martha stood up as well and tossed her peel in the bin.  “I take it you can see yourself out.”

“I can.”  John moved past her then stopped.  “Next time…”  He glanced over his shoulder.  “Ring before you drink,” he advised.  “Not necessarily me.  Just someone.  Can you at least do that?”

Martha sighed softly and nodded.  “Yea.”

“Good.  Take care of yourself.”  John passed through the lounge and collected his coat on his way out.

Once he was gone, Martha plopped down on the sofa and buried her face in her hands.  That was the second time she let him get into her head.  Though, if she was honest with herself, he never really left her thoughts.  She had only been tipsy that first night in the pub so she still had memories of the night.  Memories of John and her tucked in a dark corner near the loo, her back against the wall and his body flush against hers.  His lips, fingers, and breath against her skin, she could tell that he wanted her right then and there.  If she was a single woman she might have considered it.  Even now, part of her was considering it and that was wrong.

It was like Molly said, she wasn’t a cheater.  She loved Tom.  She wanted to marry him and start a life with him.  Too bad she wasn’t sure that he felt the same.  If he could just make a bit more effort it would be different.

She reached for her mobile and sent Tom a text telling him that they needed to talk.  If she could just hear it from him that they were on the same page, then she could put John out of her mind.

Or at least she hoped so.


End file.
